Filipino Transgender Woman Sass Rogando Sasot’s Inspirational speech at the UN

"Reclaiming the lucidity of our hearts"



Speech transcription courtesy of Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines (STRAP)

“Opposing grave human rights violations
on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity”

ECOSOC Chamber, United Nations Headquarters, New York
Thursday, December 10th 2009 at 1.15 p.m. – 2.45 p.m


Let me begin by expressing my warmest gratitude to the Permanent Missions to the United Nations of Argentina, Brazil, Croatia, France, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, and to the coalition of non-government organizations defending the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. Thank you for making this event possible and for giving us this opportunity to contribute our voices to this ongoing conversation for change. Our esteemed participants, beautiful beings, and profound expressions of this Universe, a warm, vibrant, and dignified afternoon to each and every one of you!

Burned at stake. Strangled and hanged. Raped and shot and stabbed to death. Throats slashed. Left to bleed to death. These are just some of the ways transgender people were killed in different parts of the world, in different times in the history of humanity. These are just the tip, the violent tip, of the iceberg of our suffering. I can go on and on, reciting a litany of indignity upon indignity, but my time is not enough to name all the acts of atrocious cruelty that transgender people experience. But what is the point of counting the dead bodies of our fellow human beings, of narrating how we suffer, and of opposing violence against us if we don’t challenge the root of our oppression?

The sincerity of our intention to address the human rights violations against transgender people rests upon the depth of our appreciation of human diversity and the breadth of our understanding of why transgender people suffer these indignities.

The root of our oppression is the belief that there is only one and only one way to be male or female. And this starts from our birth. Upon a quick look on our genitals, we are assigned into either male or female. This declaration is more than just a statement of what’s between our legs. It is a prescription of how we should and must live our lives. It is a dictation of what we should think about ourselves, the roles we should play, the clothes we should wear, the way we should move, and the people with whom we should have romantic or erotic relationships. But the existence of people whose identities, bodies, and experiences do not conform to gender norms is a proof that this belief is wrong.

Nonetheless, even though the truth of human diversity is so evident and clear to us, we choose to hang on to our current beliefs about gender, a belief that rejects reality and forces people to live a lie. This is the belief that leads to attacks on our physical and mental integrity, to different forms of discrimination against us, and to our social marginalization. This is the belief that led to Joan of Arc to be burned at stake because she was cross-dressing. This is the belief that motivated the rape and murder of Brandon Teena on December 31, 1993. This is the belief that led to the stabbing to death of Ebru Soykan, a prominent transgender human rights activist in Turkey, on March 10, 2009. This is the belief that led to the arrest of 67 Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia for cross-dressing in June this year. This is the belief that keeps the list of transgender people being harassed, killed, and violated growing year after year. And it is very unfortunate that our legal systems, religions, and cultures are being used to justify, glorify, and sanctify the violent expressions of this belief.

So we question: Is human life less precious than this belief? Is our right to life, to dignified existence, to liberty, and pursuit of happiness subservient to gender norms? This doesn’t need a complicated answer. You want to be born, to live, and die with dignity – so do we! You want the freedom to express the uniqueness of the life force within you – so do we! You want to live with authenticity – so do we!

Now is the time that we realize that diversity does not diminish our humanity; that respecting diversity does not make us less human; that understanding and accepting our differences do not make us cruel. And in fact, history has shown us that denying and rejecting human variability is the one that has lead us to inflict indignity upon indignity towards each other.

We are human beings of transgender experience. We are your children, your partners, your friends, your siblings, your students, your teachers, your workers, your citizens.

Let our lives delight in the same freedom of expression that you enjoy as you manifest to the outside world your unique and graceful selves.

Let us live together in the fertile ground of our common humanity for this is the ground where religion is not a motivation to hate but a way to appreciate the profound beauty and mysteries of life;

for this is the ground where laws are not tools to eliminate those who are different from us but are there to facilitate our harmonious relationship with each other;

for this is the ground where culture is not a channel to express the brutality of our limited perception but a means to express the nobility of our souls;

for this is the ground where the promise of the universality of human rights can be fulfilled!

And we will be in this ground if we let the sanity of our desires, the tenacity of our compassion, and above all, the lucidity of our hearts to reign in our lives.

Thank you!

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by: Sass Rogando Sasot, transgender activist, Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines (STRAP)
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Links to the entire webcast:

In English: Click Here

En español: haga clic aquí



Special thanks to: bird of paradox, UK for writing about this and to Stephanie Stevens for posting this on Transgender News and helping to give this incredible speech the attention it deserves. Thank you.

Governor Paterson To Make Special Policy Announcement for Transgender New Yorkers

A message from the TLDEF:
Join Us Wednesday for Governor Paterson's Special Policy Announcement for Transgender New Yorkers

Dear friends,

We've got a special treat for all of our friends in the New York City area. And we're pretty sure that the rest of you will like it, too. On Wednesday, December 16, New York State Governor David A. Paterson will join us to make a major policy announcement affecting the lives of transgender New Yorkers. And you're invited to be there to hear it first! The Governor's office has asked us not to reveal what he will announce, but I can tell you that you'll definitely want to be there to hear it for yourself on Wednesday morning.

Who: New York State Governor David A. Paterson

What: A major policy announcement for the transgender community in New York State

Where: The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, 208 West 13th Street, Manhattan

When: Wednesday, December 16, 2009, 10:30 a.m. Arrive early - doors open at 10 a.m.

Why: To hear Governor Paterson's announcement and thank him for his tireless efforts to achieve equal rights for New York State's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

It's important that we have a strong turnout to thank the Governor for his tireless efforts on behalf of the entire LGBT community in New York State. I'm incredibly excited about what the Governor is doing and I know that you will be, too. We hope we'll see you on Wednesday!

Best wishes,

Michael Silverman
Executive Director

Transgender legal.org

Jesus Catalan America's Most Wanted For The Murder of Transgender Woman Paulina Ibarra

Have you seen this Man? Jesus Catalan is wanted in connection with the brutal slaying of Paulina Ibarra [right] after his blood soaked clothing was turned over to police by acquaintances soon after her murder.
Aliases: Brian Nanes, Luis Santiago
Sex: Male Race: Hispanic Current Age: 25 Height: 5'9" Weight: 140 lbs. Hair (Color, Description, Facial Hair): Black
Eyes: Brown
Scars and Tattoos: Unknown design on right arm
Traits and Habits: Drug user, may use methamphetamines,
Frequent sexual encounters with transgender women
Last Seen: Hollywood , CA
Other Possible Locations: Los Angeles , CA
Believed to be homeless. Known to frequent the Hollywood and Rampart areas.

If you have information about Jesus Catalan please contact AMW at 1-800-CRIME-TV OR CLICK HERE for a link to AMW.





Last updated December 13, 2009

Dallas Rally Human Rights Day 2009

Date: Saturday, December 12, 2009
Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: Dealey Plaza
Street: 411 Elm St.
City/Town: Dallas, TX
View Map
Host: Equality March TexasContact Shawn Amoei @ 972-603-5418 or rxa2929@gmail.com for further info

Do you know what Human Rights are?

Every person is entitled to certain rights – simply by the fact that they are a human being. They are "rights" because they are things you are allowed to be, to do or to have. These rights are there for your protection against people who might want to harm or hurt you. They are also there to help us get along with each other and live in peace.

Many people know something about their rights. They know they have a right to be paid for the work they do and they have a right to vote. But there exist many other rights.

When human rights are not well known by people, abuses such as discrimination, intolerance, injustice, oppression and slavery can arise.

Born out of the atrocities and enormous loss of life during World War II, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was created by the United Nations to provide a common understanding of what everyone’s rights are. It forms the basis for a world built on freedom, justice and peace.

Marcela Romero is Argentina's Woman of the Year and Transgender!

"...somos personas que venimos de una lucha fuerte, no ese estereotipo or we are people who come from a strong fight, not the stereotype." Please meet transgender activist Marcela Romero Argentina's Woman of the year!

The Dallas Voice reports that "The honor was conferred by the Committee on Women and the Family in the lower house of the Argentine Congress in recognition of Romero’s 10-year court battle to have legal documents issued recognizing her identity as a woman."

This accomplishment is astounding. Ms. Romero'a battle for life has included separating her transgender expression from the patriarchal, hetero and homo-normative misogynistic "drag Queen" genre, imprisonment and physical assault. The recognition of Ms. Romero by Argentina's goverment was not a universally appreciated event as some of the members of the government's lower house walked out during the announcement.

I wonder if any of the upset people were American conservative ultra orthodox Anglicans who recently absconded to the "Southern Cone"?

Also on the Web:
pagina12.com. Respetar el genero, transformar el cuerpo

By kelli Anne (former Anglican) Busey

Uganda's Anti-Gay Bill: Inspired by the U.S.

Source Time.com"The late-November afternoon sun bore down on the park in downtown Kampala, and all along the benches, Ugandan office workers took their siestas. There could have been no less likely setting for criminal conspiracies to topple an East African state. Still, the doctor's voice dropped a notch when an office worker in a brown suit settled in close by. The medic shifted a battered fedora over his eyes. "I am the gay doctor," the physician whispered to me, making sure nobody around heard. He talked about the gay and lesbian couples who go to his office to avoid ridicule in public hospitals. "They know they can trust me, and trust is a big issue," he said. "There is the stigma of being gay, but also the stigma of being [HIV] positive. They are such hidden communities. Nobody wants to deal with their problems."

"In a matter of weeks, the Ugandan doctor's admission to TIME could land him in jail and his patients on death row. An anti-homosexuality bill now before Uganda's Parliament would include some of the harshest anti-gay regulations in the world. If the bill becomes law, the doctor, who asked that his name not be published, could be prosecuted for "aiding and abetting homosexuality." In one version of the bill, his sexually active HIV-positive patients could be found guilty of practicing acts of "aggravated homosexuality," a capital crime, according to the bill"

Read more: Time.com Uganda's Anti-Gay Bill: Inspired by the U.S.